There are a lot of great trail reports here so I'll keep this one short and sweet. Here are the main takeaways:
- Mosquitoes are ATROCIOUS. Even with my bug suit I got 30+ bites.
- Stay to the left of the tree "island" on Aasgard
- BABY GOATS!
Camp
We camped at Colchuck Lake for two nights and used it as a basecamp. I'd say the best sites are near the toilet; they have water access (essential with the heat and for a slight reprieve from the murderous mosquitoes) and plenty of space for a few tents. The ones you encounter before that are mostly in the forest.
Aasgard
Aasgard Pass lives up to its reputation. As per other reports, when going up stay to the LEFT of the tree "island" and little river as this is the safest route (obviously that means staying to the right going down). In fact, around 9pm on Wednesday, July 1st, we witnessed what looked like a gnarly rockslide originating from Dragontail Peak and going down Aasgard (see photos below).
There are plenty of cairns along the way, though for unexplainable reasons it was far more challenging to navigate going down than up. It took us about 2 hours to make it up and I highly recommend beating the heat and starting by 9am when it's still shady.
While we didn't carry packs, based on my experience I would 100% rather carry a backpack going UP rather than down. The loose dirt and scree made for a lot of perilous slipping and sliding. I found poles to be neither a help nor a hinderance.
The Core
Simply stunning. Highly recommend carrying a water filter up to refill bottles as it's hot and exposed up there. There is still snow and it is to be tread carefully, as always. Don't blindly trust boot paths. There are tons of goats! Lots of glorious fluffy babies!
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